Sunday, June 14, 2009

We’re near the heart of summer, so that means a lot of street festivals and food events. Here’s my regular planner to help you keep up with it all!

June 15, Monday.Screening and panel discussion surrounding the documentary “Fresh,”7 p.m. at the Gaia Arts Center, 2116 Allston Way., Ste. 1, in Berkeley. Following the screening, a panel discussion will include speakers like Nicole Henderson, Green for All; Jason Mark, co-manager of Alemany Farm; Jason Harvey, director of Oakland Food Connection; and Ana Joanes, director of “Fresh.” Panel moderated by Ari Derfel, co-founder of Back to Earth and Terrain Restaurant. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here. See a trailer of the documentary here.

June 16, Tuesday. New Orleans Crawfish Boil at Magnolia Pub. This landmark Haight/Ashbury eatery will be hosting a down home crawfish boil, selling the spicy critters by the pound. This night of eating also falls on Magnolia’s regular $3 Tuesday Beers. What a combo, right? Learn more here, or better yet just grab your napkins and go!

June 18, Thursday. Uptown Unveiled Street Fair. For the first time, Oakland is throwing a party for its newest neighborhood, Uptown. And fortunately for me, that’s close to where I work. From 5 to 10 p.m., you can stroll along Telegraph Avenue from about 16th Street to West Grand/Broadway. There’ll be music, street performances, food booths and tours of the refurbished Fox and Paramount theatres as well as visits to art galleries. Area restaurants will also be offering specials that night. The event is free, but you pay for what you eat. For more information, go to www.meetdowntownoak.com.

June 20, Saturday. Summer Solstice Food Festival at Cheese Plus. Celebrating this Nob Hill gourmet store’s fourth anniversary, a gathering of food artisans will let you sample their food from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. There’ll also be live music and gelato! Store’s located at 2001 Polk St. in San Francisco.

June 21, Sunday (Father’s Day).Slow Food San Francisco’s Golden Glass Wine Event. This wine event at Fort Mason features more than 100 international and local wine and nibbles to munch with. Tickets cost $60 advanced, $70 at the door, or $20 if you want the food without wine tasting. Purchase your tickets here.

June 23, Tuesday.“What to Eat: A Revolutionary Act” is part of a series of Kitchen Table Talks put on by 18 Reasons, the food community group in the Mission. The talk (put on with Civil Eats) takes place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the offices of Sagan Piechota Architecture, 315 Linden St., and features chef Jessica Prentice. A clip from the documentary “Edible City” about the Bay Area’s foodie community will also be shown. Recommended $10 donation at the door. To RSVP, e-mail ktt@civileats.com or leave a message at 925.785.0713.

June 25, Thursday.Women and Chocolate. This Commonwealth Club event is preserving the myth that women go crazy for chocolates more than men. OK, maybe there’s some truth in that since I do like chocolate but I don’t crave it. If you want to hear more about the perfect combination of women and chocolate, then get a ticket ($20) at this chocolate and wine tasting event featuring chocolatiers from Cosmic Chocolate, Neo Cocoa, Xocolate Bar and Poco Dolce. Visit the Commonwealth Club site for more information and to purchase tickets.

June 27, Saturday. Macy’s Cooking Demo for Pride Month. This free demonstration takes place at the Cellar of Macy’s in Union Square (San Francisco) in time for Pride Month (the actually parade is the next day). Guests include: Adam Jones, Market Street Grill; Yigit Pura, Taste Catering; Jennifer Biesty (pictured left), Scala’s Bistro and former Top Chef contestant; Tim Nugent, Scala’s Bistro; and Janine Falvo, Carneros Bistro and Wine Bar. The Cellar is in the basement of 170 O’Farrell St. and demo starts at noon.

And it’s never too early to mark your calendars for next month:

July 4, Saturday. Jardiniere’s Fourth of July Dinner. This San Francisco institution will be open to help you celebrate independence day, and for the evening it’ll feature a $55 dinner that includes festive picnic fare like pickled watermelon, lobster rolls, fried chicken, and pork ribs. There’ll also be fixins like cole slaw, potato salad, mac n’ cheese (can you just imagine Jardiniere’s mac n’ cheese?) corn bread, biscuits and corn on the cob. Oh, and throw in some cherry ala mode and root beer floats and you’ve got a celebration! Call 415.861.5555 or book a reservation on the restaurant’s Web site.